If the target is native to a different plane of existence that the one you're on, the target is banished with a faint popping noise, returning to its home plane. If the spell ends before 1 minute has passed, the target reappears in the space it left or in the nearest unoccupied space if that space is occupied. Otherwise, the target doesn't return.

Unlike the case where the target is native to the plane, they are not incapacitated for the duration of the Banishment. That means the target could cast a spell, like Plane Shift, to return to the plane they were banished from.

If they do this, and return to the plane they were banished from before the end of the Banishment's duration, do either of the effects at the end of Banishment ("reappears" if the spell ends early, or "doesn't return" if it doesn't) have any actual effect, given that the target has already extracted themself from the plane they were banished to?

\$\begingroup\$I understood this question differently; I thought the OP meant "if the target of the banishment spell (i.e. say, a genie) casts plane shift to get back to where it was when you banished it, does that work or does the banishment spell somehow block their plane shift spell?"\$\endgroup\$
– NathanSMar 8 at 13:53

2

\$\begingroup\$@NathanS it seems like they just want to know what happens when the spell ends. Nowhere do they ask whether the creature can plane shift back\$\endgroup\$
– David CoffronMar 8 at 13:55

4

\$\begingroup\$I thought that it was unambiguous that plane shift would work for the target of banishment (although obviously if that foundational assumption is wrong then a good answer would address it). So David is correct in his interpretation of my question. The "potentially" in Nathan's quote is only intended to point out that they don't have to do this, but I can see how it might confuse so will try to reword.\$\endgroup\$
– VigilMar 8 at 14:21

7

\$\begingroup\$@Vigil I see, so this is more about "are there any unexpected results of those clauses of banishment if the target somehow made it back to their original space on their own (such as via plane shift), or does banishment simply do nothing at that point (i.e. when it ends) because it no longer makes sense"? If that's the case, I still feel as though David's answer could do more to address that, since as it stands it appears just to describe the normal function of banishment under normal circumstances, whereas this is an extraordinary circumstance...\$\endgroup\$
– NathanSMar 8 at 15:24

3

\$\begingroup\$@NathanS or, what if the target of Banishment used Plane Shift to teleport to a third plane (neither their home plane nor the plane they were banished from)? If the Banishment spell then failed before a minute was up, it might seem that there would be cause to let the target stay on the third plane, as perhaps Banishment's wouldn't even be expected to extend there.\$\endgroup\$
– Robert ColumbiaMar 8 at 16:18

\$\begingroup\$If it couldn't come back, it would say so. All banishing does is send something away. Could you support in the rules where anything prevents it from returning on its own?\$\endgroup\$
– user47897Mar 8 at 22:07

\$\begingroup\$the first and second parts contradict each other\$\endgroup\$
– user50904Mar 9 at 6:20

5

\$\begingroup\$If I'm banished from a house and the guards are preventing me from coming back in the door, I can use a window to get in. Banishment does not prevent re-entry through alternative methods or it would say so via the spell description.\$\endgroup\$
– Lino Frank CiaralliMar 9 at 18:43